Rotary

Here is a recap of this morning’s meeting, in case you missed it:

1. We heard from Interact co-presidents Maggie and Stuti on their experience at RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly), as well as from Chloe and Saydia on what Interact has been up to. John Hughes kicked off a “pass-the-hat” fundraiser for their club, and 13+ of our members pledged $3850+!! Donations can be sent to Carol Lee by Venmo (@Carol-Lee-38) or by check mailed to her at 18495 130th Pl NE, Woodinville 98072.
2. Julia Eagan was recognized as February’s Rotarian of the month for her outstanding contribution to this year’s auction! Thank you, Julia, for helping ensure our event was a success!
3. I made a presidential blunder on April’s Rotarian of the month! He will be revealed next week ?? (Erv handled it with the utmost of grace.)
4. Happy Birthday to Tana (4/25)!!! We hope you enjoy your peaceful birthday celebration.
5. Our Farm Refrigeration Unit is up and running, and will be dedicated with a club celebration this Thursday (Earth Day) evening at the farm at 5pm!  There will be wine, cheese and cookies, and please wear your blue Rotary shirts! We will get a few photos and would love as many members to attend as they can! The ceremony starts promptly at 5pm so be sure to get there a few minutes early. There will be helpers to direct parking.
6. At Elaine Cook’s request, if anyone is willing to set up a Meal Train for Pam and her family, please let me know. Her baby is due next month, her husband has COVID, and they have 3 little boys. They can really use some help!
7. We need a volunteer to organize our next food drive for early May! We have lists from the Woodinville Storehouse and Maltby Food Bank on items they need. Please let me know if you are willing to help get this going!
8. Lake Forest Park Rotary Club is having Rick Steeves as their guest speaker tomorrow morning at 8am (zoom). You can find the link on their website if you’d like to attend: http://www.lakeforestparkrotary.com/
9. Auction Committee meets tonight 6-7PM at the Hideaway Lodge to discuss auction successes/opportunities. If you haven’t already taken the survey from last week, you can reply to this email with any other thoughts you want the committee to know. Thanks for your feedback!

Upcoming Events:
April 22: Earth Day Farm Celebration, 5pm
April 28: BOD Meeting
June 5: World Environmental Day, planting event with Mid Sound Fisheries 9am-12pm

Here is a recap of this morning’s meeting, in case you missed it:

1. We met our auction goal and raised $40,035!! Winners were sent their receipts with pickup times this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I will be recruiting some of you to help get items to people in your network if they are unable to pickup.
2. Please take this survey on the auction to provide feedback to the committee before we meet next week. You can also copy and paste this link into your browser https://us1.list-manage.com/survey?u=e60fedd98fdf838c242b830e5&id=a53f2df2f8
3. Congratulations to Mia Harris, who will be next year’s District Rotaract Representative! This role is basically the “District Governor” at the Rotaract level. Great job Mia!
4. Our speaker this morning talked about China’s efforts to be a dominant global superpower, and what we should consider when we engage with them. It was very interesting!

Upcoming Events:
April 22: Earth Day

June 5: World Environmental Day, planting event with Mid Sound Fisheries 9am-12pm

Have a great week!

Woodinville, WA – While farmers and farm practices have evolved throughout the years, one thing that hasn’t changed is the need for cold storage refrigeration. Woodinville Rotary and Rotary District 5030 are working together to address this issue in the Sammamish Valley farming community with their innovative Keep it Cool, Keep It Fresh refrigeration project.

This isn’t the first time our community has taken on the challenge of providing cold storage refrigeration. As early as the late 1930s, when the effects of the depression were still strong, area co-operatives like the Grange Cold Storage Association provided refrigeration services for farmers and families needing to protect and prolong their fare. Now, almost 100 years later, faced with another era of food insecurity, people are beginning to re-embrace local food markets and farm fresh foods, while also educating themselves on their agricultural sources, sustainable living practices and climate action.

Organizers of the Keep It Cool, Keep It Fresh Refrigeration Project seek to aid small acreage farmers in the Sammamish Valley in their desire to bolster a sustainable food system while also supporting the environment. The project provides a cold storage unit located in the middle of the Sammamish Valley Agricultural Production District (APD), one of the most fertile valleys in the country, just 30 minutes outside of Seattle, WA.

Beginning in spring, this first of its kind refrigeration unit will be entirely solar powered, making it a uniquely off-grid farm refrigeration unit. With a generous grant from Rotary International and matching club funds from Woodinville Rotary’s Charitable Foundation, this unit will provide reliable storage for perishable products to small acreage farmers in the Sammamish Valley. Equally important is an additional investment from A Farm in The Sammamish Valley, LLC to provide for the construction of the solar array and the associated equipment to power the unit. We are very fortunate for this partnership with not only A Farm in The Sammamish Valley, LLC, but other community-supported organizations including 21 Acres, Sammamish Valley Alliance, Woodinville Rotary and Rotary District 5030 for collaborating to bring this essential asset to local farmers.

When farmed to full potential, the Sammamish Valley could supply local, organic vegetables to 80,000 people annually. These sustainable high yields are essential as climate change decreases yields in the Midwest and California. Long-practiced at producing food based on the principles of carbon sequestration and healthy soil management, Sammamish Valley farmers strive for lasting agricultural viability. As food chains become less predictable due to climate change, storms and pandemics, these local farmers serve an increasingly important role in providing food security to our community.

Woodinville Rotary and its Environmental Stewardship Committee have worked to bring non-profits and local organizations together in support of the environment, one of seven areas of focus identified by Rotary International. Bringing this focus directly into our community and addressing the pressing issues of food insecurity and food waste is more important now than ever before, as is supporting farmers that practice regenerative agriculture.

A recognition event is being planned for Earth Day 2021 to celebrate the Keep It Cool, Keep It Fresh refrigeration project in our community. For more information visit sammamishvalley.org.

Here is a recap of this morning’s meeting, in case you missed it:

1) Wishing a very happy birthday to Greg Gratz (4/11)!

2) We recognized 2 members today for Rotarian of the Month. Erv DeSmet is Rotarian of the month for January. Erv has propelled our club’s commitment to environmental stewardship forward, and is simultaneously lighting the fire with other clubs as the District Environmental Chair. Erv, you are a visionary and your optimistic sprit is a wonderful asset to our lives and club. Bravo!

Laura Hall is recognized as our March Rotarian of the month, for her creativity and outstanding contribution to this year’s auction baskets! She collaborated with Sandy on several Girl Scout themed baskets, and contributed numerous other creative and and thoughtful ideas to round out a hearty collection of baskets. Thank you Laura, for your time and energy on such a fun contribution to this year’s auction!

3) We heard a classification talk from Bob Guide this morning, with a robust Q&A with many stories afterward! We are so lucky to have you in this club, Bob.

4) Just a reminder to create your bidding account for Friday’s auction. Direct link: https://woodin2021.ggo.bid/bidding/package-browse. Please do this ASAP, call Marilyn if you have any questions. 425-260-3725.

This Thursday at 3:30pm, Susan will be giving Carol and myself a tour of the 21 Acres farm where they have implemented a tri-club project to bring seedlings to harvest, to then donate the produce to area food banks. This is another leg of our club’s commitment to reducing food insecurity locally! Feel free to come by and join the tour.

Upcoming Events:
April 9-11: 29th Annual Auction! THIS Friday!
April 22: Earth Day
June 5: World Environmental Day, planting event with Mid Sound Fisheries 9am-12pm

What a bright and positive meeting this morning! Here is a recap in case you missed it:

• We got to learn about 2 incredibly dynamic and interesting new members this morning, Laura Hall and Jen Mills! We are so glad you’ve joined our club.
• Based on the poll and emails from members, its looking like around 70% of our members have been vaccinated. Others have appointments to receive it. Just interesting to know?
• Happy dollars included a collaboration between Erv and Sandy for a “new members” pizza party at the Kallio residence in May, and Eric and Pat showing how a “standing ovation” is done to give recognition to Allison and Julia for the auction efforts.
• A note from Marilyn: when registering for the auction, make sure you “purchase a ticket” (even though its free), because this is how Greater Giving recognizes that you are attending the event. Call her with questions at 425-260-3725.

Upcoming Events:
April 9-11: 29th Annual Auction! Click Here to Register
April 22: Earth Day
June 5: World Environmental Day, planting event with Mid Sound Fisheries 9am-12pm

It was great to see you this morning! Here is a recap in case you missed it:

1. The auction committee gave a tutorial on how to register for the auction. Follow this link to register.  Or copy or click this link: https://woodinvillerotary.ejoinme.org/register . If you have any questions, call Marilyn @ 425-260-3725. Please register asap!
2. Once on the registration page, you can also see the Welcome page, where we will post the schedule of events in the next few days. The auction catalog will be published next week!
3. Susan and Carol are spearheading another tri-club project at the 21 Acres farm, where all 3 clubs can meet weekly (as able) to plant a garden from seed to harvest. We will donate the food we harvest! Details/sign up are here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050b4daaaf2da3f58-rotary
4. The Environmental Stewardship Committee will meet 3/25 at 10am by Zoom. Please email Pat Ford if you would like to attend.
5. The Fundraising committee meets tonight at 6pm by Zoom. Please email Julia Eagan if you’d like to attend.

Upcoming Events:
April 9-11: 29th Annual Auction! Click Here to Register
April 22: Earth Day
June 5: World Environmental Day, Rotary restorative planting event

It was great to see many of you this morning! Here is a recap in case you missed it:

1. We got to know newer member Paul Olmsted, and veteran member Dale Fonk! Thank you both for sharing with us this morning.
2. Keep the auction items coming! I will be sending out a list of our “holes” later today. Thank you so much for each of your contributions!
3. Happy Birthday Allison 3/15 and Andy 3/22!
4. Susan and Carol are spearheading another tri-club project at the 21 Acres farm, where all 3 clubs can meet weekly (as able) to plant a garden from seed to harvest. Details/sign up are here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050b4daaaf2da3f58-rotary
5. Nancy gave an update on the Family Jewels Foundation auction that will go through the next month. These sales support scholarships for siblings of cancer kids, and donations can earn you a PIE PARTY! http://family-jewels.maestroweb.com/
6. We heard from Northshore Interact Outreach Director Saydia Phillips who is raising money for Leukemia Lymphoma Society in honor of her grandfather. If you can donate even $20, it would mean a lot. You can email her at saydiamp3@gmail.com, or donate on this link: https://events.lls.org/wa/SOYSeattle21/sphillips
7. Reminder about St Patrick’s Day lunch tomorrow at the Maltby Cafe! 11am–RSVP to me (only if you have not already).
8. Refrigeration unit work is happening today at 1pm, email tlquigley@msn.com.

Upcoming Events:
March 17: 11am St. Patrick’s Day lunch at the Maltby Cafe. RSVP needed.
March 12, 16, 17: opportunities to help build our refrigeration unit at the farm! We need about 4 volunteers per day (different shifts), email tlquigley@msn.com.
April 9-11: 29th Annual Auction! Register
April 22: Earth Day
June 5: World Environmental Day, Rotary restorative planting event

Have a great week!

We had a big group this morning–it was great to see those of you that were able to attend! Here is a recap in case you missed it:

We heard from Kevin O’Neil on some of Woodinville’s Capital Improvements and the process that it takes to bring these improvements to be. The approved plan is too large to attach but I can send it if you are interested.

Thank you to those who have RSVP’d for lunch at the Maltby Cafe next week! Be sure to text/email/rsvp on Facebook if you want to come.

Keep the auction items coming! We could use more experiences if you are looking to contribute something. The auction committee meets tonight at 5:30pm. Meeting link:

Click to Join

Meeting ID: 929 6848 7077
Passcode: 089980

The Family Jewels Foundation Final Auction is live! Your support here will help fund their scholarship program for siblings of cancer kids. Direct link: http://family-jewels.maestroweb.com/

Upcoming Events:
March 17: 11am St. Patrick’s Day lunch at the Malby Cafe. RSVP needed.
March 12, 16, 17: opportunities to help build our refrigeration unit at the farm! We need about 4 volunteers per day (different shifts), email tlquigley@msn.com.
April 9-11: 29th Annual Auction! Click Here to Register
April 22: Earth Day
June 5: World Environmental Day, Rotary restorative planting event

Have a great week!

It was great to see so many in support of our Environmental Stewardship Committee this morning! Here is a recap in case you missed the meeting:

We had a killer presentation by Pat Ford and the ESC this morning! I am so proud of what our club has and will accomplish through this committee. As Erv pointed out, the work of this committee and all Rotarians is simply about realigning ourselves with the environment rather than continuing to dominate it, to leave the Earth better than we found it. See below for some dates to help build our refrigeration unit, beginning this month!

Auction update: Julia ordered “save the date” postcards. If you want hard copies to mail or give to your invitees, please email her at julia.eagan@eastwestfoodrescue.org. Digital copies went out by email already, and Carol is creating our Facebook event to share online as well. Thank you for sending me your procurement forms and commitment for items, we are right on track and keep them coming! Please deliver baskets/items to my house if able, 6020 NE 203rd St, Kenmore. Porch drop off is easiest!

Upcoming Events:
March 17: 11am St. Patrick’s Day lunch at the Malby Cafe. RSVP needed.
March 9, 16, 17: opportunities to help build our refrigeration unit at the farm! We need about 4 volunteers per day (different shifts), email tlquigley@msn.com.
April 9-11: 29th Annual Auction! Click Here to Register
April 22: Earth Day
June 5: World Environmental Day, Rotary restorative planting event

Have a great week!

It was great to see such a big group this morning! Here is a recap in case you missed the meeting:

1. Happy birthday Mike Tenhulzen (2/17)!! We hope you are having fun in Mexico!
2. Welcome to our newest member, Teresa Perdue! We are so happy you’ve joined our club.
3. This morning we heard from speaker Jacques White from Long Live the Kings, a nonprofit to help salmon populations in the greater Puget Sound. This was an excellent presentation and so full of information that I couldn’t keep up with notes! You can check them out at: https://lltk.org/. They are having a virtual event this Thursday evening.
   

   LLTK Home – Long Live The Kings Long Live the Kings was founded in 1986 by a group of salmon enthusiasts alarmed by the decline of wild salmon. Convinced of the long-term need for habitat protection and restoration, LLTK’s founders were intrigued by the potential for rebuilding and sustaining wild salmon populations in the near term. If you want to play a fun game visit Survive the Sound website.

4. We were visited by Corey Johnson from Imagine Scholar, along with one of his alumni, Lucky. They shared that the program is going well and that the alumni are beginning to take active participation in running the organization. The student we sponsor, Sunny, is also doing well!
5. President Elect Andy shared a message about diversity and inclusivity.
6. Pat Ford wants to share that her email was hacked, and that if you replied to her spam email yesterday, she did not receive it (but believes that the hacker did). In general, do not open or engage with emails you suspect to be spam. It’s better to call the person.
7. The Fundraising Committee meets this Thursday at 5pm by Zoom.  (President of the Lake Forest Park Club, JP Mahar, joined us this morning to share that they raised about $85k at their virtual auction last week! We can do this!)

Thanks to all who came to the meeting today! Classification Talk Day snuck up on our 2 presenters, so we decided to pivot and hear a speed-dating style update from all the members who were on the meeting.

One of the things we miss the most about in-person meetings (other than Terry Jarvis’ hugs) is the fellowship and conversations with each other before or after the meetings. This reconnection with 28 of our members this morning felt like a little taste of that again, and I’m grateful for all of you who shared what’s going on in your world.

We would also like to wish Tim House a very happy birthday on Friday (2/12)!!

A few other announcements:

1. Our Club Officers for the 2021-2022 year have been approved: Andy Philips as President, Sandy Kallio as President Elect, Marshall Moon as Vice President, Bob Guide as Secretary, and Mike Visse as Treasurer. Thanks to all for your leadership and service to our club!
2. Cinthia and Ivan’s daughter, Amber, is selling girl scout cookies again! Her goal is 400 boxes. If you want to purchase, please email Cinthia (cinthia.fer123@hotmail.com) or Amber (amber200711@icloud.com). You can also order boxes to donate to Camp Unity as we have done in the past.
3. Interact is doing a Valentine’s Craft Night for kids ages 6-9 over Zoom on Saturday 2/13. The flyer is attached.

Thank you all for being such a bright spot in Allison’s week!

Thanks to all who came to the meeting today! Here is the meeting recap in case you missed it:

1. 1. We had our District Governor, Cathy Gibson, stop in to announce that Woodinville Rotary is receiving the “Rotary Opens Opportunities” Award for “Connecting the Dots” – this recognizes Woodinville Rotary’s creative ways of merging member engagement, service, public image, Rotaract & Interact collaboration, and community involvement together. She called us a Jackpot club! I am so, so thrilled that all of our members are being recognized for putting in hard work and thinking outside this box to make this year great. Bravo Woodinville Rotary!
   2. This morning we heard from Katherine Walter on the mental health impacts of COVID. She emphasized that we can process/cope with the effects of the pandemic by: Normalizing things that we are experiencing (sadness, fear, frustration, etc)–we are not alone; focusing on finding Purpose with how we spend our time/mental energy (for example, Rotary); becoming Adaptive to our circumstances–in other words, “bloom where you are planted”; and commit energy to Hope. Here is the bulletin she shared in the chat. Direct link to copy and paste: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/BHG-COVID19StatewideSummaryForecastofBHImpacts-Nov2020Update.pdf
   3. Happy Dollars included Jen Mills for getting quality sleep, Pat and Andy for getting their first vaccine shots last week, Mike T for an update that the concrete pad for our refrigeration unit is going being poured soon, and Julia for her son being able to play soccer in person! We also were pleased to hear that Erv’s should surgery was successful and he’s recovering well. Get well soon, Erv!
   4. We will be organizing a February food drive–stay tuned for the date!
   5. Susan shared that the Sammamish Valley Grange/SVA is doing a presentation on Recycling tomorrow night. Details can be found here. Direct link to copy: http://sammamishvalleygrange.org/community-program-nights/
   6. Thank you to all who have emailed about auction contributions! Allison is still catching up on emails from the past several days, but keep them coming!

If you missed today’s meeting, you missed a very instructive presentation by Dr. Aaron Keith regarding coping with Covid isolation through exercise, diet and other non-medicinal means. One of the things he stressed was the use of supplements.
Supplements include:

• Daily probiotic with at least 5 billion CFUs
• Vitamin C @ about 1000-2000 mg day
• Vitamin D3 @ 1000+ IU./day
• Zinc – 15. Mg/day
• Fish Oil – 1000 mg/day
• N-Acetyl Cysteine @ 500-1000 mg/day
• Quercetin – 500 mg/day
• Melatonin – 1000 mg/day

Tim Burner and Paul Konrady were wished a Happy Birthday (no singing). Sandy provided a Happy $ for being able to enjoy a sunny day, and Tom provide a Happy $ for being able to drive Erv to the hospital to have his shoulder reconstructed. There was some confusion about this, since Tom suggested that the ball & socket would be reversed so that he could keep his arm raised forever. We can hardly wait to see the result!

Thanks to all who came to the meeting today! Here is the meeting recap in case you missed it:

Announcements

1. 1. We inducted our newest member, Paul Olmsted! Welcome to the club, Paul–we are looking forward to getting to know you and serving our community together.
   2. Wishing a VERY happy birthday to Paul Konrady AND Paul Olmsted (1/23)!!
   3. MLK Food Drive is this Saturday from 12-3 at Sumerian Brewing. You can send funds to Allison, Mia or Carol if you want us to shop for you to donate to this event. Please sign up to volunteer or copy and paste link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4da5ad23a7fcc16-mlkfood
   4. An update from the Environmental Stewardship Community: Make a Difference in 2021! If you haven’t already completed an action, January is a great time to get started! The Challenge platform has information on easy actions you can take that fight climate change, save money and create a healthier, more resilient community. Visit www.shorelineclimatechallenge.org/actions to find actions and make a difference in 2021!
   5. Fundraising Committee update: the sponsorship/procurement “tool kit” will go out by email this week. Please reach out to Allison with what item(s)/sponsorships you want to procure so we can update our master list. Next meeting is Thursday 1/21 at 5pm (zoom).
   6. Because it came up in the meeting, here is WA state website where you can find out your eligibility for the Covid vaccine or copy and paste into your browser: https://form.findyourphasewa.org/210118771253954

Our Speaker

This morning we heard from Gina Cotner, who coached us through some ways to cope with the mental health toll of the pandemic and heavy current events. The value of talking and authentic conversation is more important now than ever. Checking in on each other, and allowing space to answer truthfully (not just “How are you?” “I’m great”) is an important way to let off steam and get things out. And secondly, to figure out what renews us–and deliberately spend time doing those things (ie, self-care). This is an important way to avoid burn-out and keep out spirits high. More info about Gina’s business and virtual assistants can be found here or copy and past link into your browser: https://athenaexecutiveservices.com/

Thanks to all who came to the meeting today! Here is the meeting recap in case you missed it:
Announcements included:

• We have received the $8000 grant from the district and the refrigeration unit has been ordered! Susan will keep us updated on progress and ways we can participate.
• Ken called on members to highlight ways they are personally working to have a positive impact on the environment. Examples included eating less animal products/meat, reusable bags, hybrid vehicles and thoughtful recycling.
• Carol gave an update that the Rotary-Rotaract-Interact food drive has been moved to the Saturday the 23rd, at Sumerian Brewing from 12-3. Sign up list will be going out soon.

The fundraising committee presented this year’s auction: A Hand Full of Food, a Heart Full of Hope: Bringing PEACE to communities through hunger relief.

Please email Allison with what items/sponsorships you want to solicit, and she will update the master list and send out to the club on Friday. We are trying to avoid having multiple members solicit from the same businesses/individuals.

The committee will be sending out a “tool kit” with some of the invitation documents for you to help invite, including a customizable letter and a 1-page info graphic about who we are and what we do. These will come by email by the end of the week.

We will go over how to register at a later meeting.

The brief slide show from the meeting is here for your reference.

We will resume our speakers on the health/wellness theme next week!

Happy New Year to all of you! Here is the meeting recap in case you missed it:

We heard from Ty Reed, who fought his way back from a grim rock bottom with meth and alcohol addiction. He got sober in 2016 and now has a small non-profit to help those beginning to pull themselves out of addiction find employment. He helped us understand the experience of addiction, and the different labels associated with it.

Chloe from Interact shared a fundraiser that Interact is doing: Running into the New Year, a virtual 5k. Sign up or share to support their fundraising goals. Direct links: https://runsignup.com/Race/WA/Woodinville/RunningIntotheNewYear

Rotary, Rotaract, and Interact are combining forces on a food drive for our Woodinville families! It will be January 16th, 12-3–more details to come!

We had so much Happiness shared during happy dollars this morning: Marilyn announced a new job as a Broker for John L Scott; Bob announced his daughter had a successful hip surgery; Hugo celebrated the 1 year recovery anniversary of his stroke last year; Luann shared that while the holidays weren’t full of time off for her, but that Rotary helps bring joy to her weeks; and Jen gave thanks for having her oldest son living in the area once again…and there were some mumblings from Erv and Tana about our club president.

The fundraising committee will meet THIS Thursday (Jan 7th) at 5pm on Zoom. All are welcome and the link will be sent out tomorrow afternoon.

Wishing you all a bright New Year, and cheers to turning the page to a fresh start!

It was great to see everyone after a break! Here is the meeting recap in case you missed it:

1. We got to learn about 2 of our new-ish members, Julia Eagan and Luann Ferguson. We are so happy you are both a part of our club!
2. Happy birthday to Eric Greenwood (Dec 28) and Tom Robinson (Dec 26)! We hope you celebrated to the fullest!
3. We learned about a student-led organization that helps bring technology to seniors during the pandemic. The organization is called TeleHealth Access for Seniors, and has helped bring health care access to seniors and populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic. You can donate old devices to them, find out more at: https://www.telehealthforseniors.org/.
4. Tana gave us an update on the Bethanya Project in India–overall they are hanging in there. Only the older kids with access to online capabilities have been able to go to school. She said when she video-chats with them, the kids have smiling faces and are getting by.
5. Congrats to Roy G. on becoming a Paul Harris Fellow! And to Greg Gratz and Gary Whitsell for achieving another notch in their PHF hats!
6. Carol Lee updated us on a collaborative MLK food drive that will happen in January. Rotaractor Mia Harris initiated an event that will support our Woodinville Families, hosted by Woodinville Rotary, Rotaract and Interact together. Each club applied for (and was awarded) a District Grant to go towards the event–more details to come!
7. John Hughes sent a picture of Elaine Cook’s family, who is flying out to NZ today. Wishing her the best in her new chapter!

Wishing you all a bright New Year, and cheers to turning the page to a fresh start!

We had a very cheerful meeting this morning! Here is the recap in case you missed it:

1. We had a very festive and comical gift exchange–thanks to those who participated! This year’s highlights were a mega pack of stress balls, a day calendar about “how to appear smart in a meeting,” a “you’re on mute” coffee mug, a drinking game, a Maltby Cafe Cinnamon roll (which, unfortunately, never made it to the meeting…), and a great outdoors cookbook with marshmallows.
2. November Rotarian of the Month is Luann Ferguson! Luann just joined our club a few months ago and has jumped right in. She’s attended every volunteer event we’ve had, and always helps with a smile. Luann, we are grateful to have you in our club, and thank you for giving your time!
3. December Rotarian of the month is our beloved Carol Lee! Carol has been working tirelessly in ways we don’t always see. She’s advised Rotaract through their rebranding this year, and helped nurture the newly chartered Interact club. Between both of these clubs, she’s been mentoring, advising, and supporting nearly 100 youth! Her role is especially important this year as young adults are seeking to be involved in the community as a result of the pandemic. Thank you for all you do to enrich our club’s youth connections, Carol!
4. Reminder, there is NO MEETING next week. Our next meeting will be Tuesday December 29. Happy Holidays!

Great to see such a large group this morning! Here is a recap of the meeting in case you missed it:

1. Operation Warm Coats is THIS Saturday December 12 at Maywood Elem in Bothell! There are various shifts available for volunteers, please reach out to Sandy if you can help. skallio@microsoft.com/408-396-9537. She or I will send out a final email with info/times after the committee meeting this evening.
2. Holiday Food/Toy Drive is Next Saturday, Dec 19 from 12-3 at Sumerian Brewing. We need 6-7 more volunteers over both 11:45-1:30 and 1:30-3:15 (including delivery to families).
3. We will have a visit from Santa at our Dec 15 zoom meeting! We will be doing a gift exchange (limit $20). You must bring a wrapped gift to my house to drop off, where you will take a wrapped gift to open on Dec 15th. Address is 6020 NE 203rd St, Kenmore 98028. If you cannot come to me, I will gladly come drop and pick up a gift for you!
4. Our speaker was Toby Nixon from the Washington Coalition for Open Government. He informed us about citizen rights to access public records, and how to access parts of our government.
5. Happy dollars included Erv and Keith for a little holiday cheer for the kiddos (visit from Santa’s best Elf, Mr. DeSmet), and from Brittany and Pat for the overwhelming response of community love for the Maltby Cafe!

Dates to make a note of:

• Dec 12: Operation Warm Coats
• Dec 15: Gift exchange by zoom!
• Dec 19: Holiday Food/Toy drive for Woodinville Families
• Dec 22:No Meeting

Great to see you all again this morning—in HD from my new computer! Here is a recap of the meeting in case you missed it:

1. The Birthday Queen revealed we missed a birthday—Todd Hall on 11/25! A VERY happy birthday to you, Todd, and we hope you celebrated to the fullest!

2. Thanksgiving Food Drive was a great success! We collected over 70 meal kits for Thanksgiving, and delivered them directly to the families in need. Thank you to our volunteers and our sponsor (Sumerian Brewing)!

3. Warm Coats is December 12 and we still need a few more volunteers. Text/call/Sandy Kallio at (408) 396-9537, or skallio@microsoft.com to sign up.

4. We will have a visit from Santa at our Dec 15 zoom meeting! We will be doing a gift exchange (limit $20). You must bring a wrapped gift to my house to drop off, where you will take a wrapped gift to open on Dec 15th. Address is 6020 NE 203rd St, Kenmore 98028, send me a text when you are coming (206) 390-9591. If you cannot come to me, I will gladly come drop and pick up a gift for you!

5. Our speakers were from the Public Works Department in Woodinville, and they shared how turf is composed and how the project for the Woodinville soccer fields was designed. It was interesting to hear about all the options available for turf products!